MOTIVES  IN  FOREIGN 
MISSIONS 


GRIFFITH  JOHN  D.D. 


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MOTIVES  IN  FOREIGN 
MISSIONS 


/ 


BY  REV.  GRIFFITH  JOHN  D.D. 


NEW  YORK 

STUDENT  VOLUNTEER  MOVEMENT 
FOR  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 

1909 


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Motives  in  Foreign  Missions 

By  Rev.  Griffith  John,  Hankow,  China 


HERE  should  the  emphasis  be 


VV  placed  in  our  advocacy  of  the 
missionary  enterprise?  Why  should 
men  give  of  their  silver  and  their  gold 
in  order  to  carry  on  this  enterprise? 
Why  should  men  be  asked  to  devote 
their  lives  to  this  work?  What  is  the 
grand  motive  which  should  be  used  in 
our  attempts  to  move  the  churches  to 
greater  activity  and  the  missionaries  to 
deeper  consecration  in  this  holy  cause? 

I.  Should  we  place  the  emphasis  on 
the  relation  of  the  missionary  enterprise 
to  the  advancement  of  secular  knowl¬ 
edge?  I  have  heard  appeals  made  for 
missions  on  this  ground,  and  there  can 
be  no  doubt  as  to  the  great  utility  of 
missions  in  this  respect.  It  would  be 
impossible  to  say  how  much  the  various 
departments  of  secular  knowledge  owe 
to  foreign  missions.  Take  geography, 
history,  ethnology,  philology,  and  such 
subjects.  The  best  and  most  reliable  in- 


formation  that  we  possess  in  these  de¬ 
partments  has  come  to  us  through  the 
missionaries.  Then,  too,  the  heathen 
nations  of  the  world  are  indebted  to  the 
missionaries  for  nearly  all  the  knowledge 
which  they  possess  on  these  subjects. 
This  is  a  good  thing  in  itself,  and  we  re¬ 
joice  in  the  fact  that  foreign  missions 
have  done  so  much  to  enlarge  the  sphere 
of  human  knowledge  on  every  subject 
touching  the  world  and  its  inhabitants. 
But  we  dare  not  place  the  emphasis  on 
this  fact  in  our  advocacv  of  missions. 
An  individual  here  and  there  might  be 
touched  by  an  appeal  made  on  this 
ground,  but  it  would  kindle  no  enthu¬ 
siasm  in  the  hearts  of  men  generally. 
Men  will  not  become  missionaries  for  the 
sake  of  promoting  the  growth  of  secular 
knowledge  nor  will  the  churches  give  of 
their  wealth  for  this  purpose. 

II.  Shall  we  place  the  emphasis  on  the 
relation  of  the  missionary  enterprise  to 
the  advancement  of  commerce?  I  have 
heard  appeals  made  on  this  ground;  and 
there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  utility  of 
missions  in  this  respect.  The  mission  is 
the  friend  of  legitimate  commerce  always 
and  everywhere.  While  it  sets  its  face 
like  a  flint  against  trade  in  opium  and 
fire-water  and  all  such  abominations,  it 
joyfully  welcomes  the  honest  and  hon¬ 
orable  trader  and  prepares  the  way  for 

4 


him.  Missionaries  are  pioneers  of  trade 
and  commerce.  They  are  the  promoters 
of  civilization,  learning,  and  education 
wherever  they  may  be,  and  these  things 
breed  new  wants  which  commerce  sup¬ 
plies.  Look  at  Polynesia,  Madagascar, 
Africa,  and  other  countries,  and  see  what 
missions  have  done  for  trade.  But  we 
dare  not  place  the  emphasis  on  this  fact. 
The  commercial  motive  is  altogether  too 
weak,  too  low,  too  outward  to  move  men 
to  consecrate  themselves  and  their  means 
to  the  cause  of  missions.  We  must  have 
something  far  loftier,  far  stronger,  and 
far  more  inward.  Men  will  not  become 
missionaries  for  the  sake  of  advancing 
the  interests  of  commerce;  neither  will 
the  churches  give  of  their  wealth  for  this 
purpose. 

III.  Shall  we  place  the  emphasis  on 
the  relation  of  the  missionary  enterprise 
to  the  advancement  of  civilization?  I 
have  heard  appeals  made  on  this  ground, 
and  I  have  heard  of  men  subscribing  to 
missions  because  of  their  utility  in  this 
respect.  Darwin  became  a  subscriber  to 
the  work  by  reason  of  what  he  saw  with 
his  own  eyes  of  the  civilizing  effects  of 
missions.  I  have  heard  also  of  men  re¬ 
fusing  to  subscribe  to  missions  in  China, 
on  the  ground  that  the  Chinese  were  sup¬ 
posed  to  be  a  civilized  people. 

That  the  missionary  enterprise  is  a 

5 


great  civilizing  agency  is  a  fact  which 
cannot  be  questioned.  Look  at  the 
South  Seas.  There  you  see  the  wild  can¬ 
nibal  turned  into  a  lamb,  the  ferocious 
savage  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  clothed 
and  in  his  right  mind,  and  the  debased, 
brutish  pagan  transferred  into  a  heaven¬ 
aspiring  and  God-loving  man.  That  is 
not  only  religion  but  civilization  also. 
Referring  to  the  great  change  which  has 
been  wrought  in  the  moral  and  social 
life  of  the  natives  of  Tahiti  and  New 
Zealand  by  the  missionaries,  Darwin 
writes:  “  In  a  voyager  to  forget  these 
things  is  base  ingratitude;  for  should  he 
chance  to  be  at  the  point  of  shipwreck, 
on  some  unknown  coast,  he  will  most 
devoutly  pray  that  the  lesson  of  the  mis¬ 
sionary  may  have  extended  so  far.” 

Turn  to  India.  There,  self-mutilation, 
human  sacrifice,  the  burning  of  widows, 
and  other  cruel  practices  have  been 
swept  away,  and  this  is  to  be  ascribed 
in  a  great  measure  to  the  influence  of 
the  modern  mission.  Speaking  of  the 
missionaries  in  India,  Lord  Lawrence, 
late  Viceroy  of  India,  said,  “  However 
many  benefits  the  English  people  may 
have  conferred  on  India,  the  missiona¬ 
ries  have  accomplished  more  than  all 
other  influences  combined.”  There  is 
nothing  in  its  line  in  the  history  of  the 
world  that  can  compare  with  England’s 

6 


secular  work  in  India  during  the  past  one 
hundred  years,  and  yet  Lord  Lawrence 
did  not  hesitate  to  speak  of  the  work 
of  the  missionaries  in  India  as  surpas¬ 
sing  all  others  in  point  of  importance. 

As  for  Japan,  it  was  in  1854  that  the 
first  treaty  was  concluded  between  it  and 
any  Western  power.  Since  then  the 
Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  has  been  stead¬ 
ily  moving  toward  the  civilization  of  the 
West,  and  becoming  more  and  more  as¬ 
similated  to  Christian  nations;  and  this 
is  to  be  ascribed  in  a  very  great  measure 
to  the  influence  of  the  modern  mission. 
The  progress  of  Japan  in  Christian  civ¬ 
ilization  has  received  a  wonderful  illus¬ 
tration  in  the  recent  struggle  with  China. 
I  am  not  referring  now  to  the  material 
improvements,  as  demonstrated  by  the 
marvelous  strength  and  efficiency  of  her 
army  and  navy,  though  that  must  be  ad¬ 
mitted  to  be  one  of  the  great  marvels  of 
the  age.  What  astonishes  one  is  the 
wonderful  moral  progress  brought  to 
light  by  this  conflict.  Their  well- 
equipped  commissariat  and  thoroughly 
efficient  medical  department;  the  careful 
provision  made,  not  only  for  their  own 
sick  and  wounded,  but  for  the  sick  and 
wounded  of  the  enemy  also;  their  Red 
Cross  Society,  and  the  humane  treatment 
of  the  prisoners  taken  in  battle — all  these 
things  are  new  in  Japan,  and  they  are 

7 


the  things  which  fill  the  hearts  of  all 
Christian  workers  in  the  Far  East  with 
wonder  and  gratitude.  When,  300  years 
ago,  the  armies  of  Japan  swept  over 
Korea,  the  spirit  of  carnage  and  plunder 
was  unrestrained.  The  ears  of  3,600 
victims,  slain  in  a  single  battle,  were 
brought  back  to  Japan  and  exhibited  as 
trophies  of  the  cruel  conflict.  The  same 
spirit  would  have  prevailed  in  this  war 
but  for  the  influence  of  Christianity.  I 
do  not  mean  to  say  that  the  Japanese  as 
a  people  have  adopted  Christianity  as  a 
religion;  that,  as  yet,  they  have  not  done. 
And  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  they  are 
likely  to  do  so,  either  to-day  or  to-mor¬ 
row.  It  is  impossible  to  foresee  what  re¬ 
ligious  developments  may  take  place 
there  in  the  near  future.  But  they  have 
come  into  vital  contact  with  Christian 
methods;  they  have  come  under  the  in¬ 
fluence  of  Christian  teaching;  the  spirit 
of  Christianity  is  moving  them;  Chris¬ 
tian  ideas  are  taking  possession  of  them; 
and  they  are  putting  on  Christian  civili¬ 
zation  with  a  rapidity  and  a  thorough¬ 
ness  which  astonish  the  world.  Again 
I  say  that  this  is  to  be  ascribed,  in  very 
great  measure  at  least,  to  the  influence 
of  Christian  missions. 

“  Humanity,”  says  Colonel  Denby, 
formerly  United  States  Minister  at  Pe¬ 
king,  “has  not  devised  any  better,  or  even 

8 


as  good,  engine  or  means  for  civilizing 
savage  peoples  as  proselytism  to  Chris¬ 
tianity.  The  history  of  the  world  attests 
this  fact.  In  the  interest,  therefore,  of 
civilization,  missionaries  ought  not  only 
to  be  tolerated,  but  ought  to  receive  the 
protection  to  which  they  are  entitled 
from  the  officials  and  encouragement 
from  all  other  classes  of  people.”  Thus 
there  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  great 
value  of  Christian  missions  in  this  respect. 
It  is  getting  to  be  seen  more  and  more 
clearly  every  day  that  “  among  the  cult¬ 
ure  forces  of  the  world  Christianity  is 
the  most  powerful,”  and  that  the  Chris¬ 
tian  missionary,  instead  of  being  an 
enemy,  is  the  best  friend  of  science,  of 
commerce,  and  of  civilization.  For  my 
own  part,  I  do  not  believe  that  apart  from 
Christianity  there  can  be  such  a  thing 
as  true  civilization.  Are  the  Chinese  a 
civilized  people?  No,  and  never  will  be 
as  long  as  they  remain  unchristianized. 
The  riots  and  massacres  of  recent  years 
go  far  to  show  that  their  much-vaunted 
civilization  is  little  else  than  veneered 
barbarism.  This  is  an  important  fact,  a 
fact  on  which  due  emphasis  should  be 
placed.  Still  the  main  emphasis  cannot 
be  placed  on  this  fact.  The  civilizing 
motive,  though  a  true  one,  is  far  too 
weak  to  move  men  to  lay  themselves  and 
their  property  on  the  altar  on  behalf  of 

9 


the  heathen.  It  is  too  weak  in  itself  to 
rouse  the  conscience  and  touch  the  hearts 
of  men.  Men  will  not  become  mission¬ 
aries  for  the  sake  of  civilizing  the  heath¬ 
en,  neither  will  the  churches  give  of 
their  wealth  for  this  purpose. 

IV.  Shall  we  place  the  emphasis  on 
the  moral  and  spiritual  condition  of  the 
heathen?  This  is  a  more  important  con¬ 
sideration.  The  moral  and  spiritual  con¬ 
dition  of  the  heathen  world — its  dark¬ 
ness,  its  immorality,  and  its  hopelessness 
when  viewed  from  the  human  standpoint, 
is  sad  beyond  description.  The  heathen 
are  living  in  sin  and  dying  in  sin.  They 
are  without  God,  without  Christ,  with¬ 
out  hope.  Now  this  is  a  solemn  fact, 
and  the  true  missionary  cannot  but  place 
a  solemn  emphasis  upon  it.  But  even 
this  cannot  be  regarded  as  the  grand, 
central  motive.  It  is  a  strong  motive; 
but  it  is  not  the  strongest.  It  is  not  pow¬ 
erful  enough  to  carry  us  on  to  the  end 
and  to  victory. 

(i)  It  is  not  strong  enough  in  itself 
to  take  the  missionary  to  the  field;  it  is 
certainly  too  weak  to  keep  him  there. 
The  moral  and  spiritual  condition  of  the 
heathen  often  creates  strong  aversion, 
deep  loathing,  and  an  intense  desire  to 
retire  to  a  safe  distance  from  the  abom¬ 
ination.  In  itself  it  tends  to  repel  rather 
than  attract.  What,  think  you,  would  be 

10 


the  effect  of  an  attempt  on  the  part  of 
the  missionary  in  China  to  fix  his  eyes 
on  the  bad  and  vile  in  Chinese  life  and 
character?  Would  it  not  be  the  creation 
within  his  breast  of  a  strong  sentiment 
of  distrust,  contempt,  aversion,  detesta¬ 
tion,  despair?  Would  it  be  possible  for 
him  to  go  on  and  work  for  them?  Pity 
for  the  heathen  is  a  good  motive;  but 
the  missionary  cannot  depend  upon  it  as 
a  permanently  operative,  motive.  There 
are  times  when  love  and  pity  seem  to  die 
down  in  the  heart  of  the  missionary  as 
he  comes  into  close  contact  with  the  bad¬ 
ness  of  heathenism.  What  holds  him  fast 
in  the  midst  of  so  much  that  tends  to  dis¬ 
gust  and  repel?  I  will  answer  that  ques¬ 
tion  hereafter.  In  the  meantime  I  will 
relate  a  little  anecdote.  “  Let  me  give 
you  a  piece  of  advice,”  said  a  missionary 
of  some  years’  standing  at  Hankow  to 
a  young  brother  who  had  only  just  ar¬ 
rived  at  the  place;  “  I  advise  you  to  try, 
as  fast  as  possible,  to  learn  to  love  the 
Chinese  for  Christ’s  sake,  for  you  will 
find  it  very  difficult  to  love  them  for  their 
own  sake.”  That  was  sound  advice, 
based  upon  practical  experience.  Please 
do  not  misunderstand  me.  I  do  not 
mean  to  say  that  it  is  impossible  to  love 
the  Chinaman  for  his  own  sake.  There 
are  men  among  the  converts  for  whom 
I  feel  the  deepest  personal  affection.  I 

11 


love  them,  and  they  love  me,  and,  thank 
God,  the  number  of  such  is  increasing 
every  day.  Still,  what  I  have  just  said 
is  perfectly  true. 

(2)  Moreover,  the  moral  and  spiritual 
condition  of  the  heathen  does  not  pre¬ 
sent  a  motive  strong  enough  to  move  the 
home  churches  to  do  their  duty.  “  How 
is  it  possible  for  me  to  bring  myself  to 
love  and  pity  the  Chinese?  They  are  so 
far  away,  and  I  know  so  little  about  them. 
How  can  you  expect  me  to  feel  an  in¬ 
terest  in  them,  and  make  any  sacrifice 
on  their  behalf?  They  may  be  morally 
and  spiritually  in  a  state  of  great  desti¬ 
tution,  but  how  am  I  to  realize  their  con¬ 
dition?  How  can  you  expect  my  heart 
to  flow  out  toward  them  in  love  and 
pity?  ”  So  spoke  one  of  the  most 
thoughtful  of  our  Congregational  minis¬ 
ters  to  me  when  I  was  at  home  the  last 
time.  I  felt  that  there  was  much  truth 
in  what  he  said  and  made  an  appeal  to 
him  on  another  and  a  higher  ground — 
an  appeal  to  which  he  quickly  responded. 
W e  must  have  something  more  than 
pity  for  the  moral  and  spiritual  condition 
of  the  heathen  if  we  would  carry  on  this 
great  missionary  enterprise  wth  unflag¬ 
ging  energy  and  see  it  crowned  with 
success.  The  work  must  be  done,  and 
the  sacrifices  must  be  made,  not  for 
their  sakes,  but  for  the  sake  of  Another. 

12 


V.  Shall  we  place  the  emphasis  on  the 
success  of  the  modern  mission?  The  em¬ 
phasis  is  often  placed  on  this  considera¬ 
tion.  The  past  triumphs  of  the  Gospel, 
and  the  success  of  missions  during  these 
one  hundred  years,  are  often  adduced  as 
the  grand  argument  why  men  should 
consecrate  themselves  and  their  substance 
to  the  missionary  enterprise.  The  cry 
for  success  is  loud  and  persistent,  and 
there  are  men  who  profess  to  give  only 
to  success.  That  the  Gospel  has  won 
great  triumphs  in  the  past  is  a  fact  that 
cannot  be  denied  and  this  supplies  good 
ground  for  perseverance.  Success  in¬ 
spires  confidence,  and  it  is  quite  right 
that  we  should  point  to  the  success  of  the 
modern  mission  in  our  advocacy  of  the 
cause.  But  it  is  not  the  motive.  The 
apostles  had  to  start  on  their  glorious 
mission  without  this  motive.  The  fathers 
and  founders  of  our  great  missionary  so¬ 
cieties  had  to  enter  on  their  grand  en¬ 
terprise  without  this  motive.  Many  a 
missionary  has  had  to  toil  on  for  years 
without  this  motive.  Carey  had  to 
labor  on  for  seven  years  before  bap¬ 
tizing  his  first  convert.  Morrison  had 
to  do  the  same;  and  at  the  close  of  a 
laborious  career  of  twenty-eight  years 
he  could  not  boast  of  ten  converts. 
Thank  God  for  success;  success  is  sweet 
and  inspiring,  but  we  find  that  we  have 


13 


often  to  work  without  success,  and  some¬ 
times  in  spite  of  failure.  What  is  the 
motive?  What  is  the  motive  that  impels 
the  missionary  forward  in  spite  of  diffi¬ 
culties,  dangers,  and  adverse  appear¬ 
ances? 

What  is  the  motive  with  which  to 
arouse  the  churches  to  do  their  duty 
apart  from  all  considerations  of  success, 
nay  in  spite  of  failures  should  they  be 
called  upon  to  do  so?  Where  shall  the 
emphasis  be  placed? 

The  emphasis  must  be  placed,  I  think, 
on  the  relation  of  the  missionary  enter¬ 
prise  to  Christ. 

(i)  And,  first,  to  Christ’s  command. 
“Go  ye,  therefore,  and  make  disciples 
of  all  nations.”  “Go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creat¬ 
ure.”  That  is  the  Great  Commission ; 
and  that  is  our  work.  “Make  disciples 
of  all  the  nations;”  “preach  the  Gospel 
to  every  creature.”  That  is  the  work 
of  the  missionary ;  that  is  the  work  of  the 
Church.  The  missionary  is  in  China,  not 
to  promote  the  growth  of  secular  knowl¬ 
edge  ;  that  will  follow,  but  he  is  there  not 
for  that  purpose.  The  missionary  is  in 
China,  not  to  promote  the  interests  of 
commerce ;  that  will  follow,  but  he  is 
there  not  for  that  purpose.  The  mis¬ 
sionary  is  in  China,  not  to  promote  the 
cause  of  civilization  ;  that  will  surely  fol- 

14 


low,  but  he  is  there  not  for  that  purpose. 
The  missionary  is  in  China,  not  to  pro¬ 
mote  the  aggrandizement  of  any  ism 
whatever;  and  I,  for  one,  cannot  pray 
that  that  may  follow.  The  missionaries 
are  there,  not  to  make  Methodists,  or 
Baptists,  or  Congregationalists,  or  Pres¬ 
byterians,  or  Episcopalians,  or  Luth¬ 
erans.  They  are  there  to  preach  the 
Gospel,  to  make  Christians,  to  bring  that 
great  people  to  Christ. 

“Go  ye,  therefore,  and  make  disciples 
of  all  the  nations.”  Go  conquer  the 
world  for  me.  Carry  the  glad  tidings 
into  all  lands  and  to  every  ear,  and  do 
not  stop  till  all  the  nations  shall  have 
embraced  the  Gospel,  and  enrolled 
themselves  my  disciples.  That  is 
Christ’s  command,  and  that  is  our  work. 

Yes,  and  that  is  our  argument  also. 
Christ  commands ;  it  is  our  duty  to 
obey;  we  have  no  choice  in  the  matter. 
As  long  as  we  acknowledge  Christ  to  be 
Lord,  we  are  bound  to  go  on  with  this 
work.  In  defending  the  cause  of  mis¬ 
sions,  we  dare  not  take  any  ground 
lower  than  this.  Neither  is  it  safe  to  do 
so.  “Does  it  not  strike  you,”  said  Sir 
Robert  Hart  to  Dr.  Virgil  C.  Hart,  “in 
reading  the  Chinese  Classics,  that  there 
is  much  good,  and  much  to  be  admired 
in  the  Chinese  system  ?  Would  it  not  be 
well  to  leave  well  enough  alone?”  Dr. 

15 


Hart  replied  that,  “if  this  was  so,  then 
the  Chinese  did  not  live  up  to  their  pre¬ 
cepts.”  That  was  a  good  answer  in  its 
way;  but  it  is  by  no  means  the  answer. 
If  there  were  no  other  answer  the  mis¬ 
sionary  enterprise  would  soon  come  to 
an  end.  But  there  is  another  answer, 
and  an  all-sufficient  answer. 

As  to  the  Chinese  system  being  well 
enough.  I  will  not  deal  with  that  point 
now,  save  to  say  that  I  utterly  deny  that 
the  Chinese  system  is  “well  enough,” 
and  that  it  is  my  firm  conviction  that 
China  will  never  be  right  while  this  sys¬ 
tem  lasts.  But  the  right  answer  to  that 
question  is  this :  “Would  it  be  well  to 
disobey  Christ?”  That  is  the  question 
which  the  missionary  has  to  consider. 
It  is  not  a  question  of  letting  “well 
enough  alone” ;  but  a  question  of  obey¬ 
ing  or  disobeying  Christ.  Christ  wills 
it ;  and  we  dare  not  disobey.  That  is  our 
position. 

“It  is  the  will  of  God !”  That  is  the 
motive  selected  by  Peter  the  Hermit 
when  he  wanted  to  arouse  Europe  to 
rescue  the  Holy  Land  from  the  hands  of 
the  infidel.  With  that  one  sentence  he 
stirred  the  whole  of  Christian  Europe 
from  its  very  depths,  and  kindled  an  en¬ 
thusiasm  such  as  history  rarely  presents 
an  example  of.  “It  is  the  will  of  Christ !” 
That  is  our  motive.  Let  us  put  the  em- 

16 


phasis  on  that ;  and  with  that  motive  let 
us  arouse  the  church  for  a  grander  cru¬ 
sade,  and  strengthen  our  own  hearts  for 
new  and  nobler  achievements. 

(2)  The  relation  of  the  missionary  en¬ 
terprise  to  Christ’s  dominion  and  power. 
“All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven 
and  in  earth.  Go  ye  therefore.”  All 
power  in  heaven  is  mine.  All  the  re¬ 
sources  of  heaven  are  at  my  command, 
and  shall  be  used  by  me  for  the  further¬ 
ance  of  your  enterprise.  All  power  on 
earth  is  mine.  The  world  is  mine — the 
whole  of  it.  The  heathen  have  been  giv¬ 
en  to  me  for  my  inheritance,  and  the  ut¬ 
termost  part  of  the  earth  for  my  posses¬ 
sion  ;  and  in  order  to  conquer  it  by  your 
agency,  all  power  in  earth  is  given  unto 
me.  I  have  power  over  all  persons,  all 
possessions,  all  principles,  all  move¬ 
ments.  They  are  all  in  my  hands,  they 
are  all  under  my  control,  and  they  will  all 
be  made  conducive  to  this  glorious  ob¬ 
ject — the  evangelization  of  the  world. 
Go  ye  therefore.  Let  the  emphasis  be 
placed  on  that  glorious  fact.  Christ  is 
Lord  of  all.  He  sits  on  the  throne 
of  the  universe,  and  wields  the  scepter 
of  universal  dominion.  He  must  reign 
till  all  His  enemies  become  His  foot¬ 
stool.  Let  us  rest  on  that  fact. 

(3)  The  relation  of  the  missionary  en¬ 
terprise  to  Christ’s  presence.  “And  lo, 

17 


I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end 
of  the  world.”  “I  am  with  you  all  the 
days.”  You  feel  your  weakness  and  in¬ 
competence.  I  am  with  you  to  strength¬ 
en  you,  to  guide  you,  and  to  furnish  you 
with  all  necessary  power.  You  will 
have  your  lonely  days.  I  am  with  you 
to  brighten  the  most  lonely  of  your  days, 
and  to  fill  your  hearts  with  my  peace. 
You  fear  for  the  safety  of  the  cause. 
Fear  not.  Be  of  good  courage.  I  have 
overcome  the  world.  The  battle  is  mine, 
and  the  victory  is  certain.  You  are 
weak ;  but  I  am  mighty.  “I  am  with 
you  all  the  days.”  Let  us  rest  on  that 
great  fact — Christ  with  us  every  day, 
and  every  hour,  and  every  moment  of  the 
day.  Let  the  emphasis  be  laid  on  that 
promise. 

(4)  The  relation  of  the  missionary 
enterprise  to  Christ’s  love.  “The  love 
of  Christ  constraineth  us.”  Paul  was 
the  prince  of  missionaries,  and  such  was 
his  experience  as  a  missionary.  With¬ 
out  the  love  of  Christ  he  could  have 
done  nothing;  with  the  love  of  Christ 
filling  his  heart  he  could  do  all  things. 
“The  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us.” 
(a)  The  love  of  Christ  to  me,  personally, 
constrains  me  to  live  to  Him  and  for 
Him.  He  died  for  me  ;  and  I  will  die  for 
Him.  He  lives  for  me  ;  and  I  will  live  for 
Him.  I  will  work  for  His  sake ;  I  wil! 

18 


suffer  for  His  sake.  There  is  nothing  I 
would  not  do  to  please  Him.  He  is  my 
Lord  and  my  Savior.  He  loved  me  with 
an  everlasting  love.  He  gave  Himself 
for  me.  I  owe  Him  an  infinite  debt,  a 
debt  which  is  always  due,  and  which  I 
can  never  pay.  All  I  can  do  is  to  lay 
myself  on  the  altar,  and  say:  Lord 
Jesus,  take  me  as  I  am,  and  use  me  for 
Thine  own  purpose  and  glory.  “The 
love  of  Christ  constraineth  me.”  That 
is  a  grand  motive.  The  love  of  Christ 
to  us,  to  each  one  of  us  personally.  Let 
us  place  the  emphasis  on  that  great  fact, 
(b)  And  then  there  is  the  love  of  Christ 
for  the  world — for  the  Hindus,  for  the 
Chinese,  for  the  Japanese,  for  all  men. 
“God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave 
His  only  begotten  Son.”  “He  died  for 
all.”  “He  is  the  Savior  of  all  men.”  It 
may  be  hard  sometimes  to  love  the 
heathen  and  make  great  sacrifices  on 
their  behalf.  You  may  not  be  able  to 
do  it  for  their  sake.  Do  it  for  Christ’s 
sake.  Think  of  the  love  of  Christ  for 
them,  and  love  them  through  His  love. 
Look  at  them  through  the  eyes  of 
Christ;  His  eyes  are  all-pitiful.  Feel  for 
them  with  the  heart  of  Christ,  which  is 
ever  tender  and  compassionate.  People 
at  home  say  that  the  heathen  are  so  far 
away ;  that  it  is  difficult  to  feel  a  deep 
interest  in  them  and  their  concerns.  Be 

19 


it  so.  But  Christ  is  near,  and  it  ought 
not  to  be  difficult  to  feel  an  interest  in 
Him  and  in  His  great  redemptive  pur¬ 
poses.  “The  love  of  Christ  constraineth 
me.”  Let  the  emphasis  be  placed  on 
that  great  motive.  Paul  found  it  there. 
Why  should  we  not  find  it  there  also  ? 

I  have  often  thought  of  Paul  and  the 
Yang-tze  together.  On  its  way  to  the 
sea,  the  mighty  stream  has  to  encounter 
many  obstacles,  and  flow  in  varied  chan¬ 
nels.  In  its  upper  courses,  its  bed  in 
many  places  is  uneven  and  narrow.  But 
it  never  stops.  Now  it  dashes  against 
the  rocks  like  a  mad  thing,  and  now  it 
rushes  through  the  narrow  gorge  at 
a  mill-race  speed.  Then  it  emerges 
into  a  wide  and  even  channel,  and 
flows  quietly,  calmly,  and  majestically 
to  the  sea.  But  its  flow  is  ever  on¬ 
ward,  continuous,  irresistible.  Try  to 
turn  it  back,  and  you  will  find  it 
impossible.  Ask  it  to  stop — and  it  will 
tell  you  that  it  cannot.  Ask  it  why;  and 
it  will  reply:  “A  mighty  law  has  taken 
possession  of  me,  and  is  carrying  me  on¬ 
ward.  I  cannot  help  myself.  The  law  of 
gravity  constraineth  me.”  So  it  was 
with  the  great  apostle.  The  love  of 
Christ,  like  a  mighty  law,  had  taken  pos¬ 
session  of  him,  and  was  carrying  him  on¬ 
ward.  He  could  not  turn  back,  he  could 
not  stop,  he  could  not  help  himself. 

20 


“The  love  of  Christ  constraineth  me.” 
His  was  a  wonderful  life.  One  sentence 
explains  it  all:  “The  love  of  Christ  con¬ 
straineth  me.” 

Christ’s  command,  Christ’s  commis¬ 
sion,  Christ’s  presence,  Christ’s  love — 
these  four  combined  make  a  mighty 
motive.  This  must  ever  be  the  grand 
central  motive  in  the  missionary  enter¬ 
prise.  Other  motives  may  come  and  go, 
but  this  abideth  forever.  It  can  never 
change,  it  can  never  grow  weak,  it  can 
never  become  obsolete.  It  is  perma¬ 
nently  operative  and  all-sufficient.  Let 
the  church  of  God  throughout  the  world 
place  the  emphasis  on  this  motive,  let 
the  motive  become  a  living  force  in  the 
hearts  of  all  the  missionaries,  let  it  be¬ 
come  a  living  force  in  the  hearts  of 
Christ’s  disciples  generally,  and  the  re¬ 
sult  will  be  universal  triumph.  It  will 
be  triumph  in  Africa,  triumph  in  India, 
triumph  in  China,  triumph  in  Japan,  tri¬ 
umph  everywhere.  Before  the  close  of 
the  twentieth  century,  great  voices  will 
have  been  heard  in  heaven  saying,  “The 
kingdoms  of  this  world  are  become  the 
kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  His 
Christ.” 


21 


■ 


